When to Harvest Garlic on the Prairies
Harvest timing for Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba gardens, the leaf signal to watch, and how to cure and store the bulbs.
When to harvest garlic on the Prairies is usually late July in southern Alberta and early to mid-August across most of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The calendar only gets you close. The leaves tell you when.
Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture says digging is common in August, but not before the leaf tops have died back about one third of the way. Ontario’s garlic factsheet gives a similar test: start harvesting when 30–50% of the leaves have died back.
Prairie garlic harvest at a glance: Lift when about a third of the leaves have browned and the rest are still green. Lethbridge and Medicine Hat: late July. Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg: late July to early August. Regina, Saskatoon and Brandon: early to mid-August. Prince Albert: mid-August. Loosen with a fork, do not pull by the stem, and cure in a dry, airy place for 2–3 weeks.
When should you plant garlic where you garden?
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Want the full year? See Growing Garlic in Canada for planting, scapes, harvest and curing from start to finish.
Prairie Garlic Harvest Windows
Fall-planted garlic is harvested the following summer. Warmer, earlier-spring cities lift first. Use the window to start checking, then go by the leaves.
| City | Zone | Avg First Fall Frost | Usual Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lethbridge | 4b | Sep 27 | Late July |
| Medicine Hat | 4b | Sep 22 | Late July |
| Calgary | 3b | Sep 21 | Late July–early August |
| Edmonton | 4a | Sep 23 | Late July–early August |
| Winnipeg | 3a | Sep 20 | Late July–early August |
| Red Deer | 3b | Sep 13 | Early August |
| Regina | 3a | Sep 17 | Early–mid August |
| Saskatoon | 3a | Sep 12 | Early–mid August |
| Brandon | 3a | Sep 15 | Early–mid August |
| Prince Albert | 2b | Sep 8 | Mid August |
The Leaf Signal
Each green leaf above ground is one papery wrapper around the bulb below. Harvest too early and Ontario’s factsheet says the bulbs may be immature and shrivel when cured. Harvest too late and the wrappers can stain or partly rot and the cloves can be exposed, which shortens storage.
Dig one test bulb when the lower leaves start browning. If the cloves have filled out and the wrappers are intact, lift the row.
A hot spell can move the date. Saskatchewan’s ministry notes that temperatures above 30°C hold back bulb formation and make the foliage die back early, so a dry, hot July on the Prairies can brown the leaves before the bulbs are fully sized. Its guidance is to give garlic about 2.5 cm of water a week while it grows and bulbs, and to keep it drier as harvest approaches.
Lifting Without Damage
Loosen the soil beside the row with a garden fork and lift the bulbs out. Pulling by the stem tears the neck and the wrappers. Do not wash the bulbs; brush off loose soil. Damaged bulbs store poorly, so eat those first.
Curing and Storage
Curing dries the bulb so it stores longer. Ontario’s factsheet suggests tying 10–15 plants in a bundle and hanging them in a well-ventilated area, out of direct sun, then trimming the tops and roots once cured.
For eating, the same factsheet gives 0–4°C at 60–70% humidity as the best storage, and warns that higher humidity invites mould and root growth. At room temperature, hardneck garlic keeps up to about 4 months. Keep your largest, cleanest bulbs whole for planting in fall; the factsheet notes that cloves separated from the bulb deteriorate faster.
Curing: What Two More Sources Say
The University of Saskatchewan’s signal is the lower third of the leaves turning yellow and dying back. It warns that waiting too long after the tops die back can let bulbs rot, and longer still can let them split apart. If you want to braid softneck garlic, harvest while the leaves are still green, because dry leaves are hard to braid.
Both sources give a shorter, warmer cure than a cool shed. The University of Saskatchewan spreads bulbs on newspaper for 10–14 days at about 27°C in a well-ventilated spot. Perennia, Nova Scotia’s agriculture extension agency, gives 24–29°C for 10–14 days, longer if the air is humid, out of direct sun (which can scald the bulbs) and below 32°C.
Perennia’s test for a finished cure: the two outer skins are dry and crisp, the neck has tightened, and the centre of the cut stem is hard.
For long keeping, Perennia gives −1 to 4°C at 60–70% humidity with good airflow. It adds that cloves break dormancy fastest between 4 and 10°C, so avoid leaving garlic for long at that temperature if you want to stop sprouting.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do you harvest garlic on the Prairies?
Usually late July in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat, late July to early August in Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg, and early to mid-August in Regina, Saskatoon and Brandon. Saskatchewan's Ministry of Agriculture says digging is common in August, once the leaf tops have died back about one third.
How do I know garlic is ready to harvest?
Watch the leaves. Saskatchewan's guidance is to wait until the leaf tops have died back about a third of the way; Ontario's factsheet says to begin when 30 to 50 percent of the leaves have died back. Dig one test bulb first to check the cloves have filled out.
What happens if I harvest garlic too late?
Ontario's factsheet warns that late-harvested bulbs can have stained or partly rotted wrapper leaves and exposed cloves, which shortens storage. Harvested too early, the bulbs may be immature and shrivel as they cure.
Why did my garlic leaves turn brown early in a hot summer?
Saskatchewan's ministry notes that temperatures above 30 degrees C hold back bulb formation and make the foliage die back early. Steady watering, about 2.5 cm a week while the garlic grows and bulbs, helps. Keep it drier as harvest approaches.
How long should garlic cure?
Two to three weeks in a dry, airy place out of direct sun. Ontario's factsheet suggests tying 10 to 15 plants in a bundle and hanging them in a well-ventilated area, then trimming the tops and roots once dry.
How should I store garlic after curing?
Ontario's factsheet gives 0 to 4 degrees C at 60 to 70 percent humidity for eating garlic. At room temperature hardneck garlic keeps up to about 4 months. Keep the best bulbs whole for fall planting.
Sources
- Government of Saskatchewan, Ministry of Agriculture — Garlic
- Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness — Garlic production factsheet
- Environment and Climate Change Canada — Canadian Climate Normals (the frost dates in the tables, read from this site’s frost data)
- University of Saskatchewan, Gardening at USask — Garlic
- Perennia (Nova Scotia), Gillis-Madden, Rehmen and Hildebrand (2020) — Garlic Storage, Post-Harvest Diseases, and Planting Stock Considerations